A plurality of the world’s population is unaware that Earth has been warming, according to a just released Gallup poll. This plurality – 36% of the world’s population – overwhelmingly resides in the undeveloped parts of Asia and Africa, where access to the media is limited. The same Gallup Poll found that 35% of the world’s population have heard of global warming and predominantly blame humans. This 35% has ready access to media information.

In Sub-Saharan Africa, where 54% are not aware that their climate is alleged to be warming, a mere 22% have heard of the global warming issue and predominantly blame humans for the warming. In undeveloped Asia, 48% are unaware that the climate is warming and 27% predominantly blame humans.

The Gallup survey did not investigate the role of the media in shaping public perceptions of global warming.

The Gallup Poll, which shows surveys results by 111 individual countries as well as by region, shows beliefs about global warming to vary dramatically from country to country. Only 4% of Greeks, for example, consider nature to be the dominant force in global warming, on fourth that of some of its neighbours. In North America, Canada and the U.S. are almost mirror images of each other in terms of beliefs in global warming.